Independent film festivals conclude with major awards in Spain and Italy

Several independent film festivals have concluded their recent editions, celebrating excellence in short filmmaking.

At the seventh La Sansilvestrale festival in Spain, Álvaro León’s ‘¿Qué comen los dragones?’ won the Molino de Oro for Best Short Film. The magical realism piece explores childhood grief. Other winners included Óscar Campos and Paula Vélez for Best Screenplay with ‘Pies’, and María Izquierdo for the Best Onubense Short Film award. The festival saw over 400 entries this year.

In Italy, the 11th Caselle Film Festival concluded with Gisella Gobbi’s ‘Il pesciolino rosso’ taking top honors, winning Best Film, Best Director, and the Youth Jury Award. Alessandra Dolci received the Best Screenplay award for ‘Oggi, non domani’, while Artur Chays won for Best Animated Film with ‘Honeymoon’. The event emphasized the role of independent cinema in promoting local culture and territory.